Kim stood at the back of the hall as Saffie Winters took her place at the piano.

With lessons over for the day students and teachers were milling around the space, carrying boxes and bringing in chair stacks and placing them at the edge of the room. Kim tried to imagine the galas and balls that had taken place amongst the priceless tapestries that adorned the walls.

She had sent Bryant off to find out what he could about the boy who had collapsed. There had been no word from Dawson, which she hoped was good news.

Saffie stood behind the stool as though composing herself for this practice piece. Her gaze made a quick sweep of the room, ending at the doorway. She took a breath, sat, and flexed her fingers. The second her fingers hit the keys the room silenced. Discussions ended mid-sentence and activity stopped as all attention channelled towards the single figure on the stage.

Four notes in and Kim could understand why.

She recognised the piece as ‘Hammerklavier’, by Beethoven, a notoriously hard piano piece that required extreme dexterity and concentration, declared unplayable by some musicians. It was a piece she had listened to many times as she worked in her garage, and most times she found herself pausing in her task to simply close her eyes and listen.

As Saffie played her head occasionally lifted from the keys to glance at the door. A secret smile rested on her delicate mouth, and Kim turned to see why.

Along the back wall Kim saw a dark-haired youth leaning against it. His hands were resting in his pockets. His school tie had been abandoned, and his top button opened casually.

A couple of people turned and waved in his direction, but he saw nothing as his gaze was locked on the girl performing on the stage.

Her glances were less often now but occasionally their eyes met across the distance, and Kim could feel the intensity. It was like a power line was stretching between the two of them. Kim was sure that if she stepped between them she would be frazzled to a crisp.

She could not shift her gaze from the silent interaction between them. Saffie’s eyes seemed to hold a tentative question. His face offered no response. She sought something from this boy, and his rigid expression was giving her nothing in return.

Bryant came to stand beside her but said nothing until the piece had finished.

The room responded with enthusiastic applause.

Kim knew that the entire sonata lasted forty-five to fifty minutes, which required a great deal of stamina to complete. Saffie acknowledged their appreciation and instantly looked to the doorway, but the lad had already gone.

‘She’s good,’ her colleague said.

‘She’s more than that, Bryant,’ Kim said. ‘That girl is world class,’ she added, as she watched Saffie leave the stage without a glance at anyone.

‘I’ll be back in a sec,’ Kim said, rushing for the door.

* * *

She turned left and caught up with the male captivated by Saffie’s performance.

‘Excuse me,’ she said, touching him on the shoulder.

‘Yes?’ he said with a look of distaste.

It suddenly occurred to her that Thorpe seemed to feel that Heathcrest was a place where they produced superior people. She was coming to realise that Heathcrest just made people feel superior.

‘DI Stone,’ she said, without producing her identification.

He said nothing but continued to look at her derisively.

‘Firstly, drop the attitude, fella, I just want to ask you a couple of questions.’

His expression warmed a couple of levels to impatience as he offered his hand and a modicum of good manners. ‘My apologies, officer, I was just in a rush. My name is Eric Monroe.’

She ignored his outstretched hand and enjoyed his discomfort when it dropped back to his side.

Yes, she had attitude and she’d bloody well earned it.

‘You seemed particularly captivated by the performance of Sadie’s sister in there a moment ago?’

‘I was appreciating Saffie’s musical ability,’ he replied.

It was more than that and Kim knew it.

‘Are you two a couple?’ she asked. If this boy knew Saffie well, then he might also have known Sadie.

‘Not any more. We broke up,’ he said, without emotion.

‘Recently?’ she asked, surprised, recalling the level of intensity between them.

He frowned and although his face was not puckering up into the disdainful look he’d sported earlier, it was getting there. ‘Yesterday, actually, but I’m not sure what that has to do with your inv—’

‘Did you know Sadie at all?’ she asked.

‘I saw her a few times,’ he said. ‘They weren’t close, but she was an angry little thing.’

‘About what?’

He shrugged. ‘Don’t know what her problem was but she barged into Saffie’s room one night saying they had to talk.’

‘Did she say about what?’

He shook his head. ‘Saffie told her to get out and not come back. That was the only time…’

‘Why did the two of you break up?’ Kim asked, directly.

And the derision was back in full force. ‘My reason for ending our relationship is definitely none of your business, officer and now I must—’

‘Couldn’t you have waited to finish with her?’ Kim asked, struck by the callousness in his tone. ‘She has just lost her sister.’

His lips pursed into an unpleasant sneer. ‘I can assure you, officer, that she’s lost a lot more than that.’

He turned and walked away from her. She saw little point in following him. He’d said all that he was going to say.

* * *

As she headed back into the hall Kim considered what she’d learned. Saffie wanted something from Eric, Eric was angry with Saffie, and Sadie had been angry with just about everyone.

‘What do we know?’ she asked her colleague, who took out his notebook.

‘So, the kid is fourteen-year-old Shaun Coffee-Todd, son of the newsreader and a former studio runner. He seemed fine in the previous class but never reached his next lesson. Apparently suffers with an allergy to nuts.’

‘Jesus,’ Kim said. She’d seen an anaphylactic shock reaction before and it wasn’t good.

The ringing of her phone stopped her thoughts.

She took a breath before answering.

‘Dawson,’ she said.

‘Kid didn’t make it, boss. Pronounced dead ten minutes ago.’

Kim ended the call and closed her eyes for a second before turning to Bryant.

‘This school has now given us two dead kids this week and it’s only Wednesday. What the fuck is going on?’